Xperimenting Xmas
by Hope Hannigan
Summary: Sequel to The Experiment, XXMAS explores the day to day life of the characters introduced in the fic and their kids, eight years after the epilogue. Drabbles. First chapter recapitulates story/characters.
1. Prelude

Xperimenting Xmas, The Prelude

Since I have finished writing X-Men 4, The Rogue and Gambit Experiment, ideas and mutant plot bunnies are nagging at me.

I decided to embody them in this collection of drabbles that will give you snippets of Rogue and Gambit's life a rough eight years after the epilogue.

The story: After being cured, being jump-started, sleeping with Remy, being assaulted, getting better, finding that her biological family was close, avoiding the Hellfire club menace by melting Emma Frost's cold heart, becoming a big sister, becoming a mother, adopting her late archenemy's daughter and having a second child, Rogue thought that life was going to be easy-peasy. Now co-headmistress with her husband of the Southern School for Gifted Youngsters, her life kind of settled... or at least as much as it could. A fateful month of December shows her that a super-hero life is never really uneventful.

The characters: Find here below the characters you will encounter in the drabbles.

Anna Marie LeBeau, AKA Rogue

Remy LeBeau, AKA Gambit

- co-headmasters of the SSGY (Southern School for Gifted Youngsters, MS)

Olivier "Oli" LeBeau, 12 years old son of Anna and Remy

Isabella "Izzie" LeBeau, 12 years old foster daughter of Anna and Remy, natural daughter of BellaDonna

Rebecca "Bekka" LeBeau, 8 years old daughter of Anna and Remy

John Logan AKA Wolverine, Anna's dad

Ororo Munroe AKA Storm, Logan's wife

- co-headmasters of the XSGY (Xavier's School for Gifted Younsters, NY)

Kendra Logan, 14 years old daughter of Logan and Ororo

Katherine "Kate" Pryde Rasputin AKA Shadowcat

Piotr "Peter" Rasputin AKA Colossus

- co-headmasters of the ISGY (Illinois School for Gifted Youngsters, IL)

Sarah Rasputin, 11 years old daughter of Kate and Peter

Piotr Jr "Pete" Rasputin, 9 years old son of Kate and Peter

Emma Frost-Summers AKA White Queen

Scott Summers AKA Cyclops

- co-headmasters of the MIGY (Massachusetts Institute for Gifted Youngsters, MA)

Megan Summers, 13 years old daughter of Emma and Scott

Alex Summers II, 11 years old son of Emma and Scott

Christopher "Chris" Summers, 9 years old twin son of Emma and Scott

Christina "Tina" Summers, 9 years old twin daughter of Emma and Scott

Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee

Robert "Bobby" Drake AKA Iceman

- co-headmasters of the PSGY (Pacific School for Gifted Youngsters, CA)

"Lili" Drake, 7 years old daughter of Jubilee and Bobby

Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock AKA Psylocke (in her British body)

Warren Worthington III AKA Angel

- She: retired supermodel / he: CEO of Worthington Enterprises

Elizabeth "Beth" Worthington, 12 years old daughter of Betsy and Warren

Kymri Wagner

Kurt Wagner AKA Nightcrawler

- She: housewife, former pirate in alternate dimension / he: action movie actor

Tyler "Ty" Wagner, 6 years old twin son of Kymri and Kurt

Talia Josephine "TJ" Wagner, 6 years old twin daughter of Kymri and Kurt

Cerise Wagner, 2 years old daughter of Kymri and Kurt

Cecilia Reyes

Henry "Hank" McCoy AKA Beast

- co-deans of the McCoy-Reyes Clinic that specializes in medicine for Mutantkind

Ciaran McCoy, 15 years old son of Cecilia and Hank

Francesca McCoy, 12 years old daughter of Cecilia and Hank

Miguel McCoy, 8 years old son of Cecilia and Hank

Tessa Bishop AKA Sage

Lucas Bishop

- She: former XSE / he: current XSE

Charles Xavier AKA Professor X

- former headmaster of XSGY, current spokesperson for Mutantkind right and Mutant/Human relationship.

The Schools:

SSGY Southern School for Gifted Youngsters

XSGY Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters

ISGY Illinois School for Gifted Youngsters

MIGY Massachusetts Institute for Gifted Youngsters

PSGY Pacific School for Gifted Youngsters

Companion graphics, songs and goodies will be posted on my facebook page (add /pages/Hope-Hannigan/285530304821289 to your usual URL) and my blog (hopeyslair dot blogspot dot com)


	2. Day 1

Xperimenting Xmas, Day 1

December 1st.

"On the first day of Christmas, my mentor gave to me... a mission to fulfil."

Rogue pressed the button to her husband communicator as she exited her office. "Chérie?" his voice replied to her attempt to contact him.

"Sugah, I gotta leave for a few days. Professor sends me on a mission. New recruit. Details are in the Head office."

"Okay, chérie."

She shut the communicator. They would talk more in the evening when both could speak over a phone. Remy was teaching a class. She quickly stopped by her kids to tell them bye.

She didn't like to be sent on missions out of the blue. She didn't like to leave her family behind. Even though they were twelve and eight years old, she felt like a disaster would happen when she was away.

She packed a couple of essentials and took off in her school's jet. They could manage just fine without her. Nothing big would happen. No big deal.

Yeah, right. She never was one to fool herself. She would do some damage control when she got back. She wouldn't worry until something big did arise.


	3. Day 2

Xperimenting Xmas, Day 2

December 2nd.

"On the second day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me... a bloody panic attack."

Remy awoke to the scream echoing from his older daughter's bedroom. Thinking her in danger, he burst into her room with sizzling cards in hand, ready to strike the enemy. He found his son freaking out and his daughter pushing him away.

"What's going on, Izzie?" he asked the girl.

"I'm bleeding, dad." she replied haughtily. Her blond hair waved behind her as she gauged him.

Uh-oh, he thought. He knew that look. He had seen it before. On her real momma. He noticed the bloodied bedsheets and pajama bottoms.

"Isabella, love, what is happening, it will be fine," he reassured her as if she were a savage animal.

Olivier looked at their dad as if he had grown a second head. The thing is, Remy knew that Belladonna, during _those_ days, used to leave a bloodbath behind her whenever someone pissed her off. If the daughter was anything like the mother - and he knew they had some similarities - they were in for a nightmare.

Slowly, carefully, he crossed the distance between him and his foster daughter. She calmed down somewhat and he led her to Anna's bathroom - and the forbidden loot, her feminine products.


	4. Day 3

Xperimenting Xmas, day 3

December 3rd.

"On the third day of Christmas, my dear son gave to me... A good reason to worry."

Anna looked at her ringing cellphone. She had just arrived in her hotel to rest for the night. Her hunting the recruit was harder than she thought. She decided that the next morning, she would start her research via the built-in Cerebra of her jet. She felt silly running about the city Charles had indicated her with no real clue.

The caller ID showed her it was her son. "Hello, Oli."

"Mom! Did you talk with dad today?"

She sat up at once. Olivier's tone was worrying. "I didn't."

"Izzie went berserk or something. First she screams because her bed is bloodied, then dad acts like she's so dangerous she risks to snap our necks, and now he's gone after her because she left the school grounds with no forewarning whatsoever!"

"Blood, you say?"

"Yup," he confirmed.

"It's nothing to worry about, Oli. Just stay at the school. I'm calling your dad."

A quick dial later, Remy picked up his phone. "Chérie?"

"What's going on with Isabella?"

"Oh, you know... She just had her first... P-thing."

"Do you need me to come back?"

"No, find the recruit. I can handle it."

"Where is Izzie?"

"Sitting in front of me, with the biggest iced chocolate treat they could put together. You women are strange things, you know it?"

They talked little more and hung up. She was tempted to go back. Naaaah, let him handle it.


	5. Day 4

Xperimenting Xmas, day 4

December 4th

"On the fourth day of Christmas, my brother gave to me... a headful of messy hair."

Rebecca didn't like when no one noticed her. Since her mom was gone on an errand for the Prof, no one was paying her any attention. Remy was constantly watching Izzie's every movement, Oli was worried and Izzie was... weirder than usual. It was weird enough that she was born with fairy features like pointy ears and ethereal looks. These days she didn't look like a sweet fairy but like a vengeful blood elf.

Pouting, she went to her dad. "Papa?" He turned his hazy eyes toward her. He looked like he hadn't slept for days. "When will Momma be back?"

"In a few days, Bekka." He patted her head and bolted when Izzie made to leave their private rec room.

She mournfully turned towards her brother, playing his video games. While she had their mom's green eyes, his were hazel with a hint of red. They glowered any time he was experiencing a strong feeling. She went to sit by him, a game controller in hand. "Mind if I join?" she asked with saccharine sweet voice.

"Go ahead, I could use a teammate." he smiled at her and fussed her hair.

Oh yes, and he was good at reading people's feelings. She punched his arms for messing with her hair and settled on the couch, ready for an afternoon of playful abandon.


	6. Day 5

Xperimenting Xmas, day 5

December 5th.

"On the fifth day of Christmas, my foster family gave to me... Reasons to be thankful."

Isabella didn't consider herself as a difficult kid. She knew she was lucky Remy and Anna adopted her. She barely remembered her mother but both her foster parents tried to make up for her loss. She never felt that they treated her differently than their own children. She loved growing up with Oli and Bekka.

She wasn't difficult, nor rebellious. She just got that lust for violence seizing her from time to time. 'Papa' Remy trained her in martial arts and 'Mama' Anna in meditation and control. She could keep her urges in check... Most of the time. They never hid that she was the only daughter of the Assassins Guild heiress. They all knew violence had been her biological family's business for so many generation, it was kind of ingrained in her.

As she lay in bed reflecting on her life and her upbringing, she realized that she felt better than the previous days. The violence and anger had receded. Her belly didn't hurt that much anymore. She sighed and smiled. Poor Remy. She chuckled. The total freak-out look he had on his face when he saw her four days before was priceless.

She looked at the clock. It was still early. Time to prepare a 'thank-you-I'm-sorry-breakfast'. She found Anna sitting with a mug of coffee and tired eyes. She hugged her. "Welcome back, mama."

They talked about the last days while Izzie cooked. Remy found them laughing about the nightmare that had been the beginning of the week. Despite himself, he smiled. It was good to see Rogue back, and Izzie back to normal.


	7. Day 6

Xperimenting Xmas, day 6

December 6th

"On the sixth day of Christmas, my mama gave to me... A girl friend to play with."

Oli woke up with a start. He could feel that someone was upset. He put pj pants on and wandered to the direction of the odd feeling. He found the girl his mother had brought back the day before. She was sitting on a girl's bathroom floor, her face pressed to her raised knees. He reached out tentatively and lightly touched her arm. "Are you alright," he asked with concern.

She lifted a tear-stricken face to look at him. "My family don't want me since I'm a mutant..." she said with a broken voice.

He sat next to her and wrapped his arm about her shoulders. She leaned on him and took comfort in his nice gesture. "I don't know what it feels like. I'm second generation and I don't have any abilities yet. I can tell you that you are not the only one. I saw that in most cases, the parents just needed to adjust and think things through. They might contact you back..."

She looked at him, hopeful. "Really?" he nodded. "Thanks," she said as she settled again against him.

"I'm Olivier. Rogue's son."

"Yeah... I... saw you yesterday with her. I am Mona." The twelve years old girl introduced herself.

Oli helped the Latino girl up. She had a nice olive-y skin, big brown eyes and the darkest hair he had ever seen. She's cute, he thought. "Come on, let's make us some breakfast. My dad taught me to do pancakes so good, you will never want anything else for breakfast."

She giggled, her sorrow forgotten, and followed him. He never let go of her hand.


	8. Day 7

Xperimenting Xmas, day 7

December 7th

"On the 7th day of Christmas, my wife gave to me... Amazing news."

Lucas Bishop awoke to Tessa's fumbling in their ensuite. He got up and joined her in the bathroom. She was sitting on the closed toilet with a frown. Knowing her, he thought, she was over-analyzing something.

"What's going on, darling?" his deep voice resonated through the room.

She started and dropped a small plastic tube she had been holding. It rolled until it touched his foot. He picked it up and looked at the little blue bars. He had no clue...

Oh.

Oh!

He looked at Tessa's frightened expression. "Is it... What I think it is?" she nodded. "Does this mean... What I think it means?" she nodded again, hugging herself.

He crossed the short distance between them and knelt in front of her, looking into her glistening eyes. "These are happy tears, Tessa?"

She nodded. "I... I guess I had given up hope."

He pressed his flat palm to her belly. "But now a little miracle is growing there."

"I'm thirty-six years old... Statistically, risks..."

He hushed her. "Statistics don't really apply to mutants. We'll book you an appointment in Hank's clinic. I can't wait to see everyone's face when we'll tell them," he said, trying to add a funny edge to the conversation. She smiled.

"At the Christmas party," she chuckled through her tears.

She launched herself in Lucas' arms and they started to make plans.


	9. Day 8

Xperimenting Xmas, day 8

December 8th

"On the 8th day of Christmas, my niece gave to me... A fruitful phone call."

Emma sighed impatiently as her phone started to ring. "What is it, Phoebe?" she asked the Cuckoo in charge that day.

"Your niece on the line..."

"Put her through," she ordered haughtily. "Good morning, my niece. What do I owe the pleasure?"

"I have a new recruit, and I suspect her of being a mind-reader on top of being a teleporter."

"This is uncanny. I'll send you three of the cuckoos."

"Three?"

"They work better in group, you know it. I'll keep the two who are also good alone. If that recruit is a mind reader, they'll know."

"Thanks, auntie," Anna said gleefully.

"Oh, for the love of my late sister, Anna, don't call me that. We have barely fifteen years of difference and our children are the same age."

Rogue laughed. Emma and her had had the exact same conversation numerous times.

"I'm the one feeling old, this week, Emma... Izzie is a woman now."

"She got other powers than looking good?"

Anna laughed heartily at that. "No. The other thing. It happened when I was recruiting the new girl."

"Poor Remy," said Emma mockingly. "I bet it was quite the ordeal for him."

"You have no idea. Turns out BellaDonna went on a killing spree once a month. He watched over Izzie like a hawk."

Both ladies caught up a little before Emma hung up and called the three cuckoos part of the Cuckoos Hive. All five girls were her clones, courtesy of the government and Stryker's need of telepath to operate his version of cerebro.


	10. day 9

Xperimenting Xmas, day 9

December 9th

"On the ninth day of Christmas, my niece-who's-like-a-cousin gave to me... Juicy gossip."

"I swear, he's following that Mona girl everywhere. And he does a good job at it, considering she's a 'porter just like uncle Kurt," gossipped Izzie to her aunt Kendra on the phone.

"You kidding me! He's actually interested in someone!"

"He looks like a lost puppy, it's almost pathetic."

Both girls laughed at that. Even though Isabella was adopted and Kendra was Rogue's 14 years old sister, the girls felt like sisters, or cousins.

"I know someone who won't be happy about it..."

"Meg? She'll get over it. She is his mother's cousin. That ought to be illegal to date or something. That's so icky. It's like one of my kids dating one of yours."

"She started to read minds, you might want to shield your thoughts from her now. She accidentally slips in people's minds more often than not."

"Makes me think that some of the Cuckoos got here yesterday to assess Mona. My mom is convinced that she's a mind-reader too."

"What did the cuckoos say?"

Izzie let the silence drag suspensefully. "She is."

"Oli is sooooo screwed!"

"Watch your mouth, young lady!" came Ororo's voice from Kendra's doorway.

"Oops, gotta go, Izzie. Later?"

They hung up and Kendra looked sheepishly at her mom. She had a load of clean laundry in her arms.

"Sorry, mom," she said, subdued.

"You better be. I will not accept such foul language from you. Especially when you talk about family."

"You're always so good mannered, mom. I'm not like you in that regards..."

"I know. You took after your father..."

Both agreed and smiled. She had to have some of her father's traits as she was her mother's splitting image.

**AN: Hello! I wanted to mention that graphics and songs for every single day can be found on my facebook page (add /pages/Hope-Hannigan/285530304821289 to the facebook url) or on my blog (hopeyslair dot blogspot dot com). Love y'all!**


	11. Day 10

Xperimenting Xmas, day 10

December 10th

"On the tenth day of Christmas my pirate friend gave to me... Her kids to look after."

Kurt and Bobby shook hands. Kymri and Jubilee, smiling, hugged. Kymri was holding the little Cerise in her arms and the rest of the kids, Lili, Ty and TJ, grinned and started to play.

"Thank you for taking the kids for a week," started Kurt.

Jubilee shook her head. "You need a small vacation, just the two of you. Between Kurt's carreer and the kids, you haven't had a minute alone together since the twins' birth."

After a last hug, Kymri let her youngest go in her godmother's arms. Kymri and Jubilee had temporarily served together as pirates on an alien spaceship. When the X-Men rescued the firecracker, they brought both of them back.

A few goodbyes later, Kurt and Kymri left the PIGY and the kids for a week. Lili, TJ and Ty were good friends. They had only a few months of difference and their parents raised them together. They were as close as kids their age could be.

Lili had a pirate cabin made of wood, set in a tree. From there, they could pretend to be pirates and sail the seven seas. They didn't come down until Jubilee called them for dinner. "Arr," shouted cap'n Lili the Red. "Food, brave mates!"

All cheered and skipped down the ladder to the firm ground. The twins and Lili raced to the dining hall.


	12. Day 11

Xperimenting Xmas, day 11

December 11

"On the eleventh day of Christmas, my husband gave to me... A breakfast in bed."

Kate, formerly known as Kitty, awoke to her husband's kisses. She turned a sleepy head in his direction and groaned a good morning. She caught the scent of fresh coffee and breakfast. Her eyes opened. She found Piotr with a tray, a single red rose in a vase and her favorite breakfast.

She sat up with a smile and Piotr set the breakfast for her. He joined her in bed. They were sharing food and drinks when...

"Mommy! Pete took my radio!" whined their daughter Sarah.

"I did not!" the young boy protested.

"It's barely 7AM. Why are you two fighting already?" asked Piotr. He sounded frustrated. Kate guessed that he had hoped that they could spend some alone time before the kids woke up.

Both kids started to talk at once, each accusing the other of pranks or petty theft. Piotr slowly ushered them to their rooms, talking with his usual quietness to them. Both calmed down and agreed to remain calm and stop annoying one another.

Piotr soon joined Kate in bed. She had finished her breakfast and put the tray aside. She pulled him to her and gave him the longest, most passionate kiss.


	13. Day 12

Xperimenting Xmas, day 12

December 12

"On the twelfth day of Christmas, my mom gave to me... A job."

"Moooooom, I really want to be a model," said twelve years old Beth, daughter of Betsy and Warren, for the hundredth time.

"I told you how hard this is. You're sure you want to be part of it?" asked Betsy, formerly Psylocke, with concern.

The girl nodded in earnest. "I want to do it. It's my dream."

Psylocke sighed. "I'll talk with your dad, then I'll set the contract with my model agency. You will be under my direct supervision. I will not be softer on you because you are my daughter. Actually, it'll be quite the opposite."

Beth sighed. "I know, mom. I've known you for the last 12 years." She coyly played with her blond locks she inherited from her dad. "Do you think Isabella could join too?"

She knew her friend, and her dream to become something else than her natural mother. Both girls had talked on the phone about becoming models and travel.

"I don't know, darling. Maybe she should talk about it to Anna and Remy. It's not my call. If she had her parents' support and do well on the preliminary training session, like you will, then she can be in."

"Thanks, mom!" Beth excitedly said before thanking her and leaving the room to phone her girl friend.

Betsy shook her head. It felt like yesterday, she was holding her for the first time. How grown up she already was...


	14. Day 13

Xperimenting Xmas, day 13

December 13th

"On the thirteenth day of Christmas, my former student gave to me... News I was expecting."

Charles Xavier was renowned for being one of the first mutants known, for being an expert in genetics and for being the founder of the first school for mutants.

He was on a two week series of conferences about mutants and their right in the UN headquarters. He had just spoken in front of a room full of diplomats. He was content. The broadcast of thoughts he had received was encouraging. He didn't pry nor used his mutation in any way. He just kept his psi-shields low. He liked to know if the people he had lectured were receptive to his speech or not.

He pulled his ringing phone from his inside pocket and smiled when he saw it was Anna calling. He greeted her pleasantly. "What do I owe the pleasure to hear from you, Anna?"

"Just calling to let you know that you are on the news. Diplomats are talking to their respective press and televised news teams. It looks good. Most are positive to mutant rights and mutant-human cooperation."

"Thanks, Anna. How are things with Mona?"

He could hear her disgruntled groan over the phone. "Her ethics are shady at best. She is opportunistic. She has been a bad influence on the kids. I signed her up for supplementary ethic classes."

"I see. I was expecting such behavior. I believe you and Remy can handle the situation..."

"We can. My kids can't though. I'll need to have a talk with them. Especially Oli. I caught him stealing French tests. Oli doesn't need to, he's perfectly bilingual."

"Act for the best."

"I will," she answered. They hung up. Good news on the political front. Not so good on the personal front. He would talk with this Mona girl at the Christmas party.


	15. Day 14

Xperimenting Xmas, day 14

December 14th

"On the fourteenth day of Christmas, my friend gave to me... a secret to keep."

Cecilia showed a little something on the monitor. "And this is your baby, Tessa."

With emotion, the telepath tightly held onto her husband's hand. Lucas cleared his throat with obvious emotion. "And... it's fine?"

"As far as I can see, the fetus is healthy and developing well. It is... yes, it is eight weeks old."

Tessa sniffled and wiped a tear away. No one had ever seen her that emotional. Lucas squeezed her hand and smiled at her. "Tess was worried about... pregnancy risks... considering her age and everything..." He said carefully.

Cecilia smiled. "Well," she said. "Considering your physical condition and your latest health examination... I do not consider this as a risked pregnancy. Of course, you will have to come every month for a complete check up and ultrasound, but that's perfectly normal. On the other hand, I would recommend you to stop any activity that might endanger you and the baby..."

"I left the XSE as soon as the urine test showed positive," assured Tessa. "I won't risk my baby's health when we tried for so long to have one."

"That's wise," nodded Cecilia. "Now, I have some books for you to read about pregnancy. You can also always take advice from me or any of your friend who went through this before, like Anna."

Tessa touched Cecilia's hand with hers. "We would like to keep it secret until the Christmas party. Could you please..."

"Of course, I won't tell. Medical secrecy and all that. Don't worry."

Cecilia left the room so Tessa could get dressed again. Of course she wouldn't tell anyone. Not even her husband.


	16. Day 15

Xperimenting Xmas, day 15

December 15th

"On the fifteenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... The cold shoulder."

Megan was pissed. No, she wasn't pissed. She was beyond pissed. She was... infuriated. She had picked up from the cuckoos wandering thoughts stating that Oli, her Oli, was _dating_.

She didn't care that she was his mom's first cousin, she always had a crush on him. When they were seven, he promised he would marry her someday. She knew it was foolish to hold onto kids' promises but she wanted him so hard...

She wondered how difficult it would be to wipe that Mona girl from his mind. She swiftly shook her head. She was destined to lead the X-Men like her dad did. This was no X-Men behavior.

This was more of a Hellfire behavior. She thoughtfully wondered how would her mother handle the situation if that Jean girl had been alive when she set her eyes on her dad.

She picked up her phone and dialed Oli's cellphone. "Hey, you," she said when he answered.

"Meg!" she could hear the smile in his voice. "How have you been, cousin?"

She winced at his mention of them being relatives. "Good. I wondered if you and I could go for a coffee, you know, out of the adults' eyes, during the Christmas holiday."

"Hum... Yeah, why not! Just like last year."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Like last year."

She could hear a girlish giggle on the other side of the line and she clutched her phone so tight, her knuckles whitened. "I gotta go. See ya at the Christmas party!" He said.

He hung up before she could say another word. He was with _her _when she called. It was not an Izzie giggle, nor a Bekka giggle. Therefore, it was a stupid Mona giggle. She threw her phone away. Luckily, it landed on her bed.


	17. Day 16

AN: I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday. I was so sick last week, the meds totally put my muse to sleep. You get two days now. Posting 16 and 17:

Xperimenting Xmas, day 16

December 16th

"On the sixteenth day of Christmas, my mommy gave to me... Unexpected news."

Mona was smiling. A telepathic prompt from the Headmistress had summoned her to her office. Her parents were on the line. She eagerly answered.

"Mom, Dad! I'm so happy..."

Her smile froze when she took in their words. "We needed to tell you something. We adopted you. Had we known..."

"You wouldn't have adopted me..." she finished for them. "It's a bit unfair, don't you think. Why do you care that I am a mutant? It's part of my genes, as much as my eye or skin color!"

Her mom sounded shameful. "I am so, so sorry, Mona. We loved you, you were a sunshine in our lives..."

"You speak like it were my funerals." she said softly, defeated.

"I'm sorry..." her mom repeated. Mona hung up before any of them could say another word.

She teleported out of the office before Anna could talk to her. She had hoped for a Christmas miracle and instead she got a nightmare. She landed on her bed and hugged herself. A heartbreaking sob shook her and tears flowed on her cheeks. She buried her face in the pillows and cried until she could no more. She fell in exhausted oblivion.

She woke with a start when she felt a hand on her back. She saw Oli sitting beside her. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Mama told me, chérie. You'll be alright. You could become an X-man..."

"What would it be good for? I won't get my parents back no matter how hard I work to make them love me..."

"You don't have to make them love you... Learning you were adopted is hard even in normal circumstances..."

"How could you know," she said in anger.

He glared at her. "Both my parents were adopted. So was my sister Isabella."

"Oh."


	18. Day 17

Xperimenting Xmas, day 17

December 17

"On the seventeenth day of Christmas, my dad gave to me... A nice phone call."

"We will meet at Xavier's next Saturday," said Rogue to her dad. He grunted on the other side of the line.

"Just when the school was getting quiet. I guess you'll bring your load of runaways and emancipated kids. You need to tell Ororo how many of them so she can make arrangements."

"Dad, we all know you're a softie inside. You like the kids."

He laughed. "Yeah, don't go spreading this kind of gossip. A man needs his reputation."

They spoke good-naturedly a while and hung up. She headed to the rec room and found Mona sulking on the couch there. She sat next to the sullen teen. "I know what you're going through. You can talk to me," she started.

Mona bit her lip. "It's just like they stopped loving me because I wasn't their perfect little girl anymore."

"People can't start or stop loving someone so suddenly. If they do, maybe they loved the idea they had of you, but not the real you. I was adopted too, you know. One of my moms was a precog and my other mom tried to use my powers even though it meant my death. It was the only reason why they took me in, so they could use my power. Remy has a similar story. Us fostered kids have it rough. Always trying to please our parents, trying to fit in their idea of a family..."

Mona nodded in agreement.

"Try to be your own person. Though I would appreciate if you stopped being a bad influence on my son. I know for the French tests."

"Oops," she replied, looking contrite.

"Extra ethics classes in January for you, young lady. If you don't attend, I will send you to another school."

Mona held her head down in apparent defeat.


	19. Day 18

Xperimenting Xmas, day 18

December 18

"On the eighteenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... a sweet date under the moonlit skies."

Ciaran McCoy had a secret. He had a girlfriend. They had started to date the previous summer and kept it secret. They both sneaked off to see each others. He smiled as he reached their secret date location. Fifteen was the age for sneaking off and being disobedient, he thought. It helped that his father decided to found his clinic for mutants next to Xavier's school.

He entered the gazebo near the lake that was between the properties. She landed gracefully, using the winds to carry her and soften her landing. "Kendra," was all he could say before her lips were on his.

Yes, he was dating Wolverine's teen daughter. When he asked her out, Kendra's first reaction was to question his sanity. Truth to be told, he questioned his own sanity too.

They ended up sitting on a bench, gazing at the lake. Kendra filled the gazebo with warm air so they didn't suffer from the cold. Her head was resting on Ciaran's chest as they snuggled comfortably.

"I would like to go public with you, querida. Tell everyone we're dating..."

She gasped. "But... my dad..."

"I'm not afraid of him. I want to walk to the front door and take you out for movie dates."

She smiled and tightened her embrace. "Yes," she whispered. "That would be nice. And I'm dying to tell my friends I have the nicest, most handsome boyfriend."

"I thought Oli was the most handsome, with his Cajun moves..." Ciaran replied playfully.

"Ew! Ciaran! He's my nephew!"

He laughed and kissed her head soothingly. "I know, querida. It's just that Franscesca and Megan spend hours on the phone talking about him..."

She untangled herself to look at him in the eyes. "I love you, mpenzi" she said for the first time, and she kissed him.

AN: Querida is Spanish for sweetheart. Mpenzi is Swahili for love, boyfriend. Teens sometimes go through a phase during which they look up their parents' backgrounds, especially when they're expatriates, and take some mannerisms, customs or ways to speak. Ciaran's mom is Puerto Rican and Kendra's mom is African. (if you question my choice... Do I need to remind you of Remy and his saying 'chérie' and 'chère' all the time?)


	20. Day 19

Xperimenting Xmas, day 19

December 19

"On the nineteenth day of Christmas, she finally gave to me... an explanation."

She was hiding close to the Southern School for Gifted Youngster. How a person who tried to kill her became the embodiment of Xavier's dream of peace, she couldn't fathom. Using her training as a spy, she sneaked in the headmistress office. She wanted to confront that person alone. Little did she know that her entrance had triggered silent alarms. The best security systems were designed by the best thieves and in that department, even retired, Gambit remained one of the best.

She was looking at the students files sitting on the desk when she heard a snap and a "no!" shouted from behind her. She turned on her heels to find the mutant known as Gambit ready to strike her with a staff and the very person she was looking for restraining him. "It's Carol, sugar!"

"The Carol?"

"Miss Marvel, yes!" Rogue seemed excited and happy to see her. Carol resented that.

"You took everything from me, you tried to kill me!" She screeched before pouncing on Rogue. She fought harder when she realized she was restrained by invisible bonds. Rogue was using telekinesis to avoid a fight.

"I didn't try to kill you, Carol. I never meant to hold on that long or to kill you. I was desperate when I thought you were gone. Irene and Raven had me think I was a murderer. We never found you. Charles, Emma, even I looked for you via cerebro."

"You didn't try to kill me? You really didn't?"

"Allow me..." Rogue said, reaching for Carol's face with her hand. She struggled. "I will show you the scene from my perspective. It's just telepathy."

"You don't touch me." she sneered. Rogue nodded and, using Danielle Moonstar's powers, created an illusion that reflected her side of the scene, fifteen years before.


	21. Day 20

Xperimenting Xmas, day 20

December 20

"On the twentieth day of Christmas, my new friend gave to me... food for thoughts."

Carol and Rogue had decided to meet in a little café outside the school's grounds. "I spent ten years in a coma and when I woke up, I had no memory of anything at all. I was in a small hospital in Mississippi and no one knew me."

"Ten years... Amnesia might be why we didn't pick up on your brain signature."

"Might be. However, I started to get glimpses of my past. It's been a rough five years. Trying to find my place, my identity. A couple of months back, I finally got the last of my memories back, it was the scene at Mystique's place."

"She adopted me when I was a kid. Irene knew what my powers would be and how they could use me for the betterment of mutantkind. When my powers manifested, she sold me out to Magneto so he could use me to power a machine of his. The purpose was to turn baseline humans into mutants. At that point I had joined the X-Men and they saved me. Later, she had a telepath wipe my memories of my time with the X-Men and what she did to me. That's when you arrived. To me, you were threatening my beloved momma. Now I know what a wicked trick of hers it was."

"I see I wasn't the only one to suffer..."

"Your personality... I have a copy up here. It took over my body for a few hours, once. It saved my life. I had to lock you away, though. I was developing quite the split personality."

"I bet you were," Carol chuckled. "I understand so much more, now."

"I'm curious, how did you find me?"

"You were featured in a documentary they made on Xavier's life."

Rogue shook her head. Of course, it was obvious.


	22. Day 21

Xperimenting Xmas, day 21

December 21st

"On the twenty-first day of Christmas, my students gave to me... A reason to smile."

Remy was standing in the Mansion's foyer. All the kids had finished their classes and the parents were starting to pick their kids up for the holidays. He saw most of the kids leave with smiles. He chuckled. Kids. How he hated it when he was a teenager and people called him kid. He looked about the same age than his wife, thirty-five but he had already celebrated his fifty-second birthday.

Once the parade of parents gone, he went to the rec room. Most of the parentless kids hid there, far from their pals leaving happily, to avoid the heartache of knowing some had what they wanted to have too. Only five remained, he thought quite satisfied. The number of estranged kids diminished each year. Only remained Marrow, Surge, X-Man, Elixir and the newest addition, Mona, who hadn't chosen a codename yet.

He watched them. They soon stopped what they were doing to look at him. "Some of you know but some weren't here last year. We leave the school in two days. You will pack everything you need for a trip four days long. We all go to Xavier's School. Every X-school closes the same way. on the 24th you will have a teen party with other kids. Call it Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, it'll be yours. Us teacher and headmasters will have another party, at Xavier's too. There will be no teacher at your party but you have to understand that will all the telepathic brains present, there is no need for a constant supervision. We trust you to have fun and abide by the usual rules. Questions?"

"Your kids will be at the party too?" asked Mona.

"It's up to them. Oli and Izzie attended the teen party last year. They probably will this time too."

Mona exited the room with a smile. Christmas was something to look forward to, even with her situation.


	23. Day 22

Xperimenting Xmas, day 22

December 22nd

"On the twenty-second day of Christmas, my other half gave to me... Distraction and fun."

Chris and Tina Summers were twins. They knew everything about each other and, even at nine years old, kept pretty much to themselves. Ever since their birth, they had been able to communicate telepathically just holding hands.

Christopher had been named after their grandfather Summers and Christina after their Frost uncle Christian.

Chris was happy that all the families were gathering the next day. He had some sort of kid crush on his cousin Becca, though he wouldn't admit it even under torture. His sister knew only because they had some hive mind connection and couldn't hide anything from each other. As soon as they touched hands, they knew everything the other had ever felt, thought, experienced.

Tina nudged him. "Wanna get under the Cuckoos' skin," she mentally asked him. He agreed with a toothy grin. They skipped to the area of the school they knew the cuckoos were. It was one of their favorite past time, annoy the cuckoos to death.

Nine years old kids stuck in a school for teens needed to get their fun, didn't they?


	24. Day 23

Xperimenting Xmas, day 23

December 23rd

"On the twenty-third day of Christmas, my kid and wife gave to me... White hair."

Logan was trying to keep quiet, standing next to Ororo, ready to welcome the arrival of X-Men and kids. "It was so quiet for two days," he mumbled. "I'm gonna miss the quiet."

"No you won't," replied his wife. "You miss all the kids already."

He grumbled. She was right of course. He fussed his daughter's hair. "Hey! Don't mess with my hair!" she said indignantly with a twinkle of laughter in her eyes.

She didn't have time to say more as the McCoy family arrived. The young Miguel pounced on Kendra to hug her. Ciaran, as usual, caught the little brat by his coat and pushed him aside as he greeted casually the girl he loved. He silently questioned her. He believed it was best to announce their involvement together before most of the guests arrived. Kendra took his hand in a gesture of comfort and squeezed it as he turned to Wolverine.

He could see a vein starting to pulsate on Logan's forehead. He swallowed his saliva uneasily. "Ororo, Logan... Mom, dad... Kendra and I are... Dating."

He braced himself for the blow. Ororo and his mom smiled, his dad shook his head with a chuckle. Only Logan seemed taken aback. Ororo placed her hand on his shoulder. "We're happy to hear such good news, aren't we, Logan?"

"Good news?" asked Logan to Ororo with an eyebrow raised.

She nodded. "Great news indeed," added Hank helpfully. Cece stepped forward and hugged Kendra. "It's a delight to see that you captured his heart." she turned a stern look at her son. "No more sneaking out at night now. Treat her like a proper lady."

Logan made a strangled sound. Ororo gripped him with a steely hand. He huffed and grunted. "You hurt her, you're... in for danger sessions." he toned down the death threat. Hank was his best friend. He couldn't decently kill his oldest son.


End file.
